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Kids do love to cook

Its not hard to figure out that if parents cook, their children will, too.

But local food and health experts take it a step further, saying kids who eat dinner at home with their families reap the benefits of more than just a tasty meal. Girls, in particular, seem to have less trouble in childhood when they share the experience of cooking with their parents.

Kids actually have a better vocabulary. Girls have better self esteem and dont get involved in risky behavior, said Cynthia Sims, who taught home economics at Miller Middle School for 27 years before retiring last year. Cooking at home and eating as a family are way up there with good social skills and good manners and everything that goes along with being a contributing young person.

And to the surprise of many of their parents, children love to cook. It gives them a practical skill they can be proud of, not to mention show off to their parents and siblings. They ask to learn how to make everything from a good steak to a soufflé.

Its social, its practical, a lot of these kids will be off on their own and theyll have to fend for themselves, said Lauren Slaff, a culinary arts instructor at Durango High School. It will save them from eating a lot of crap.